Aim: To evaluate whether aqueous humour levels of pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) are associated with monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in patients with uveitis.
Methods: Aqueous humour levels of MCP-1 and PEDF were determined by ELISA in 34 uveitis samples and 9 cataract control samples.
Results: Aqueous humour MCP-1 and PEDF levels were significantly higher in patients with infectious or non-infectious uveitis than in controls (mean (SD) 32.3 (10.7) ng/ml vs 4.48 (1.10) ng/ml vs 0.47 (0.10) ng/ml, and 8.40 (1.30) microg/ml vs 5.01 (0.92) microg/ml vs 1.32 (0.22) microg/ml, respectively, p<0.001). A positive correlation between PEDF and MCP-1 was found in patients with uveitis (r = 0.39, p<0.01).
Conclusion: The results demonstrated that aqueous humour levels of PEDF were positively associated with MCP-1 in patients with uveitis. The present observations suggest that aqueous humour levels of PEDF may be a marker of inflammation in uveitis.